SEANAD:A NOMINEE of the Taoiseach asked if we could really be so uncivilised as to deny vitally needed services to families with profoundly disabled children who had just completed their schooling.

Mary Ann O’Brien (Ind) said a Dáil reply to a query about services for young adults with intellectual disabilities amounted to “a lot of Civil Service waffle”. It was as if a patient in intensive care was told their ongoing treatment depended on the availability of funding.

“This is what as a State we are doing to people with disabilities,” she said. She was aware that the review of the value for disability expenditure was to be published shortly. It was crucial, in the meantime that effective action was taken to assist the 650 families with intellectually disabled young people “who are facing into a great deal of uncertainty, a life of hell for their families around them”.

The Taoiseach was being incredibly cowardly about giving a view on same-sex marriage, Averil Power (FF) said. This issue did not need to go to the constitutional convention. It just required leadership. The leaders of her party and of Labour had given their views. She did not understand the Taoiseach’s reticence, as his party had passed a motion indicating support for legislation in this area.

Labour Senators should realise that a referral to the convention would mean that there would be no referendum in the lifetime of the Government, Ms Power said.

David Norris (Ind) said the Minister for Education was wrong to state that gay marriage could not be introduced without a referendum. There was no definition of marriage, as such, in the Constitution.

Leas Cathaoirleach Denis O’Donovan (FF) renewed his bid to obtain a debate on the plight of trainee pilots stranded in Florida. He had told the House that these young people had been cheated out of substantial sums of money.

The highly controversial Gaeltacht Bill was passed.